Seeing Stars
by Tori's Tiara
Summary: They had been attending the same boxing gym for months before he noticed her, and the first time they met was a bit of a disaster, to say the least. AU.


_Your soft touch leaves me breathless._

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Naruto's face was flushed from exertion. He could feel his shirt clinging to his sweat-slicked skin in all kinds of places and, underneath that, violent splotches of black and blue were beginning to blossom. He could taste the metallic tang of blood between his teeth, and yet, despite the battered state he was in, he grinned.

He and Sasuke had been sparring for nearly an hour, spitting taunts and insults at each other with every swing and dodge. It was always like this when they brawled—the moment they stepped into a boxing ring, strapped on their gloves, and got into the starting position, everything else outside of the ropes seemed to slip away. In the ring, his only objectives were to earn fresh bruises and achieve the kind of exhaustion that made it impossible to think.

It was because of this intense focus that nothing had ever distracted Naruto from his fights; nothing had ever really mattered outside of them. But then a gentle laugh—a bewildering, and rather pleasing, juxtaposition against the usual grunting, thumping, and gasping of the gym—managed to penetrate his concentration and draw his attention away from a prowling Sasuke. He barely caught a glimpse of long, inky hair and graceful facial features before a blow to his face had him on his back and out like a light.

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Hinata's breath came in shallow pants as her keen eyes followed Sakura's every movement. She watched her roll her shoulder and wince—it was the same spot Hinata had landed two quick jabs before she'd been rewarded with an uppercut she'd barely managed to block. Now the two were bouncing on their toes, testing each other's defenses, waiting for an opening to strike. Hinata didn't dare to look away, but her sweat was starting to fall into her eyes, and as she went to wipe away the perspiration, Sakura made her move.

She came at her hard and fast with a right hook. As Hinata ducked to avoid the blow, she realized too late that it was exactly the reaction Sakura was hoping for. Sakura's knee swung up towards Hinata's face; this time blocking the attack was impossible, so Hinata threw herself backwards in an attempt to dodge. Still, Sakura made contact with her forehead. Hinata grunted at the burst of pain, but she powered on, catching herself on her forearm, twisting her body sideways, and sweeping a leg at Sakura's feet before her raised leg could return to the ground.

The intensity of the girls' skirmishes usually correlated with the amount of stress they left with after finishing their shifts at the hospital. Today, Sakura had almost lost a patient in surgery because an assisting surgeon had made a rudimentary mistake. Hinata, meanwhile, had to put up with a recently-admitted patient whose sole purpose was to give the nurses hell. Sometimes they meditated to regain their peace of mind, but other times, such as this one, a grueling workout was the only way to blow off steam.

Hinata wanted to throw in one last blow before she called it quits, so when she swung a roundhouse kick at Sakura, she packed it with everything she had. Sakura blocked the kick easily, but she was caught off guard by the power behind it. When Hinata saw her trip backwards, she lunged forward to catch her. Instead, they both ended up on the floor in a heap. A giggle bubbled up Hinata's throat at the astonishment on Sakura's face, an emotion so out of place there.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked breathlessly, her silky tresses slipping over her shoulder as she stood and reached out for Sakura's hand.

The loud thump of a body hitting the floor mat in a nearby boxing ring, followed by a surprised, "Naruto!" interrupted Sakura before she could answer. Both girls turned around to find a handsome, dark-haired man their age crouching over a blond sprawled out on the floor mat, unconscious.

"Hey," Sakura murmured, nudging Hinata with her elbow. "Isn't that—"

"Shh," Hinata cut her off, grateful that her red face could easily be passed off as a result of their spar, though she knew Sakura would know better. Before a teasing remark could be made, she hurried over to the boxing ring and ducked under the ropes. "What happened?" she asked, slipping into her professional mode as she glanced briefly at the blond's companion.

He stared curiously at her. "He stopped paying attention, so I hit him with a left hook," he answered after a moment. "Who are you?"

She nodded to herself. "Hinata," she answered shortly as she got to her knees and lowered her ear to the blond's mouth, listening intently.

_His breathing sounds regular,_ she decided after a moment before straightening out and checking the pulse at his wrist, then his jugular.

After a minute of silent observation, the other man spoke again. "What are you doing? Are you a doctor or something?"

"A nurse," Hinata corrected, settling into a seated position and tucking her hands into her lap. "And I was checking to see if he has a concussion. He's unconscious, so it's hard to tell for sure, but his breathing and circulation are at regular levels, so that's a good sign." Her cheeks puffed up as she blew out a sigh. "We can't know for sure until he's conscious." She glanced up at him. "What's your name?"

"Sasuke," he replied, staring at the blond's face with a trace of exasperation in his eyes. "And this idiot is Naruto."

"Naruto," Hinata said thoughtfully, carefully, testing the sound of his name on her tongue, her gaze softening as she looked down at his unconscious face.

Behind her, Sakura cleared her throat.

"Sasuke, was it?" she asked, casting a fleeting glance at Hinata before meeting the man's gaze. "Can you help me get a bottle of water, some clean cloths, and a flashlight?"

He considered the rosy-haired woman for a brief moment before he nodded. "Okay."

As the pair walked away, Hinata's eyes wandered back to Naruto. She was surprised by just how different his sleeping expression was compared to the one he always wore when sparring with Sasuke.

The first time she and Sakura had come to this gym, Hinata's attention had been immediately drawn to the boisterous blond in the middle of the room, who had been laughing and teasing the man—_Sasuke_, she now knew—he had managed to knock to the ground. From that day onward, she couldn't help but be keenly aware of him—how lithely he moved, his exhilarated grin when he reached the peak of his skirmish, the way his sinewy muscles shifted and flexed with each jab and hook. Hinata had been fascinated by him from the very beginning.

On plenty of occasions, she'd asked Sakura for advice on how to approach him, but she'd never managed to pluck up the courage to follow through. All of these months, she's opted to admire his focus, his determination—_him_—from afar. But now here she was, marveling up close at the way his forehead—usually creased when he was particularly determined—smoothed and how his face settled into a relaxed, almost vulnerable, expression in slumber.

Without really thinking about it, Hinata settled Naruto's head in her lap and combed his unruly hair with gentle fingers as she waited for Sakura and Sasuke to return.

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As Naruto began to regain consciousness, the first thing he noticed was a scent—it was smooth, flowery, and soothing. It reminded him of lavender. He inhaled deeply, trapping the delicious aroma in his lungs, before slowly, and somewhat reluctantly, expelling it in a sigh. The second thing he noticed was that his head was propped on something soft and oddly comforting; he didn't dare to shift his position, lest the peaceful feeling overcoming him was ruined.

These observations eased languidly into the forefront of his mind, similar to the way the whispers reached his ears. That was when he opened his eyes.

Immediately, he was blinded by a shining light. It spotted over his vision and he instinctively flinched backwards into whatever he was laying on.

"Sakura-chan, wait till he gets his bearings," a soft voice, surprisingly close to his head, murmured.

"His pupils contracted. He's going to be fine."

Naruto heard a click and the light disappeared. He peeled his eyes open and glanced around dazedly, in search of something familiar. His cerulean gaze grazed a pink-haired woman wielding the offending flashlight. Unfamiliar. His eyes landed on a dark-haired guy who managed to look both irritated and amused at the same time. That look was definitely familiar. _Sasuke_.

Yet still, Naruto was confused.

He suddenly recalled another voice and glanced up—and openly stared at the face hovering over him. The woman—or was she a girl? There was a trace of innocence in her young features, so he couldn't be sure—had elegant features and a pair of eyes that mesmerized him into stillness. Her forehead was spotted with perspiration and her cheeks, the color of cream beneath the faded pink, were becoming rosier the longer they stared at each other—him in amazement, and her in surprise, then embarrassment.

It was at that moment that he noticed that she was pressing a damp cloth to his forehead and scrutinizing his expression as if searching for something, her eyes timidly meeting his and darting away frequently. Naruto was still regarding her in wonder when he felt something skim his chin.

It was then that, as the lock of hair now brushed his jawline, he made his final observation, the one that roused him at last: tied back and hanging over the girl's shoulder, right by his face, was her dark, glossy mane, the very same one he had glimpsed before—_before Sasuke knocked me out!_ he realized. But that wasn't Naruto's main concern.

"It was you!" he blurted loudly, startling everyone around him, including the girl. He shot up without thinking and saw, too late, that their foreheads were going to collide.

She reeled back and slapped a hand to her face, sucking in a breath between gritted teeth. Naruto doubled forward, clutching at his forehead and groaning loudly.

"Hinata!"

_So that's her name,_ Naruto noted irrelevantly.

"Naruto has a thick skull, Sakura," Sasuke said as the pink-haired woman dashed forward to Hinata's side. "You may want to check that _she _doesn't have a concussion."

Naruto could've sworn he saw Sakura's lips twitch at his jab.

"Asshole," the blond grumbled.

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In the weeks that followed, Naruto found it nearly impossible to concentrate in his skirmishes with Sasuke, especially when Hinata was there. In fact, he often allowed himself to get pummeled if it meant he'd end up in her lap again—which he has, on several occasions. It was the way she dabbed at his split lips and combed his hair affectionately that gave him the impression that she enjoyed it as much as he did, bruises and blood aside.

By the third week, Sasuke vehemently refused to get in the ring with him, nowadays opting to spar with Sakura, who didn't seem to mind the setup very much, if at all. Naruto had a hunch that there was something going on there, but he wasn't very good at decoding others' feelings, so he merely shrugged it off.

On the fourth week, Naruto and Hinata decided they'd spar together, seeing as Sasuke and Sakura now had each other. It was also the week that he asked her out on their first date.

They had been throwing lighthearted jabs here, gentle hooks there. Sometimes Hinata would mix it up by swinging her leg up and lightly tap his shoulder with her foot—that was how he discovered that she preferred kickboxing to simple boxing. They each didn't have the heart to seriously go after the other in a fight; Naruto's stomach churned at the idea of harming her in any way, even though he very well knew she was more than capable of returning the favor.

So when he ducked to the ground and threw out his leg, sweeping her feet out from under her, he could tell that she was taken by surprise.

Hinata landed on the mat with an endearing little, "Eep!" and Naruto crawled towards her with an impish grin.

"Naruto-kun?" she asked, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"Hinata-chan," he began, settling onto his side and propping his head up on his palm. He hesitated.

His eyes wandered to the little crease between her eyebrows, an endearing feature that only surfaced when she was frowning or confused. His lips pulled back into a crooked grin as he reached out to smooth the crease with his forefinger. Her face immediately pinked, silencing whatever question she had been about to voice. Instead, she waited.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto tried again after a long moment of silence. "Do you like me?"

He found it amazing how quickly her face went from pink to crimson; he could've sworn it was instantaneous. He might have even laughed, if he wasn't waiting so intently on her answer.

He pulled his hand back and waited patiently as Hinata took a deep breath, then a second, and a third. It was five minutes before her face lightened back into an attractive shade of pink and a determined look entered her eyes.

"I do," she finally said. "A lot."

His grin was the sun at its peak on a cloudless day.

"Then how about we go on a date?"

Her smile was a full moon on a starless night.

"A date sounds perfect."

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><p><strong>AN:** Hey guys! I'm still alive, I swear. My muse has been giving me a real tough time with _Teenage Hearts_, so I decided to try my hand at a one-shot, and I think it turned out pretty well. Let me know what you guys think! (PS: I'm still working on _TH_, I promise)


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